


Part 1:  At First Sight

by 0blivion



Series: Devorak's Discarded Encounters [1]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Drinking, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fighting, Fights, Friendship, Gambling, Getting Rowdy, M/M, Mild Blood, Romance, Self-Insert, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-05-30 00:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15085262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0blivion/pseuds/0blivion
Summary: A short story about Julian Devorak whilst in hiding after the masquerade where he meets you and makes a bet that could change his life.





	1. A Challenger

Julian ordered his second salty bitters, letting a deep sigh leave his chest as he awaited the bartender at his counter. His eye skimmed the tavern, trying to get a feel for the crowd. No one he knew, thankfully. Which meant plenty of people he could entertain at least with a few stories and jokes. Continuing to comb the crowd, his drink arrived and he thanked the barkeep. He handed him payment for the drink and turned, taking a sip from the stein it was served in.

And then his vision landed on you.

Julian’s gaze lingered, curiosity peaking as he watched you throw in an extra coin to the center of a table where a collection of onlookers were accumulating. You seemed to be in what appeared to be a competitive card game. You drew your cards back up and gave a broad grin that didn’t seem to win the affection of anyone at the table. Someone else tossed in a coin. So you sat your hand down and picked up a few more, and you tossed them in with a fanned hand gesture that seemed to match your expression. Across from the room, it was hard to catch your words, so Julian couldn’t exactly make out what you were truly saying. He just saw lips moving, more rolled eyes from your spectators, and what looked like a groan in unison from those in the game. They tossed their hands in, fed up with the round. Once everyone threw their cards down, you jumped and grabbed the pile of coinage from the center of the table and quickly pulled it to your own personal pile, then started gathering the cards and reshuffling.

Now thoroughly intrigued, Julian gripped his stein tight in his gloved hand and walked over to the table to hopefully hear a little more about what was going on.

“All right boys,” your voice chimed as you finished shuffling the deck and straightened the cards before starting to deal out again. “Five cards, one exchange. Everyone in?”

After another round of studying the table, Julian thinks he can recall the game you are playing and watches as you once again claim the prize for the round. You sound off again, calling all challengers to your table.

“Five cards, one exchange. Anyone think they can beat me this time?” A smirk drew across your face as you continued shuffling.

An unintelligible groan answered you back, along with hands reaching out for a few cards. Julian put his drink down on the edge of the table and wedged his way into the circle. Then, he tossed out a hand to claim a few of his own cards. Some men beside him give him a quick, curious look as they try to size up this newcomer. While you doled out cards, you came across Julian’s clothed hand and looked up to peek at his steel gray eye and hiding eyepatch.

“You know how to play?” You asked, your face morphing into something daring. “If you join now, prepare to lose your pride as well as your money.” You stated in a threatening tone.

Julian couldn't help himself as he cracked a smile. _They’re trying to scare me away, are they?_ He nodded and watched you place the cards into his hand. He pulled his hand up to look at them while you dealt the remaining players’ hands and then a hand for yourself. You settled, letting others look into their hands before the exchanges began. Someone took one card from their hand and discarded it. They turned to you for replacements. You handed out the top amount they needed to make their hands go back up to its original number of cards. The rest of them followed suit. When it came to Julian's turn, he studied his cards and your immovable expression. He took two cards he didn’t see fit, then exchanged them for newer ones. While he turned back to his hand, you finished the exchanges and started to study your own hand. A smile etched its way across your face, then you cleared your throat as if you were preparing for a big performance where you could not break character.

“Twenty.” You declare as you tossed in the coin you had to match the amount. The one beside you matched the bet. The one after that tossed their cards down and shook their head.

“I need another drink…” They said as they gathered what little remained of their own coinage (when compared to the massive one you have on your side of the table) and then tossed them into a coin pouch before trudging towards the barkeeper.

“Oh,” You uttered while you fluttered your eyes innocently. “Thank you for playing!” And then your challenging gaze returned and swept toward the next guy at the table.

“Thirty.” He challenged you with his golden tooth and frowning bushy brow. You casually take an extra ten to match his wager. Then all attention returned to Julian for his play.

He looked at his cards, a mediocre hand at best, then looked to you.

“I’ll see the amount,” Julian said as he grabbed his own coin purse and sat it on the table. Thrusting a hand into the pouch, he grabbed the coins he needed and tossed them into the pile. When he returned his cool, steely gaze to your eyes he noticed a twinkling in yours. Taken aback, his expression faltered into confusion, but then noticed you gawking at his purse. With that sparkle still gleaming, you looked back up to meet his eye and uttered a dare.

“No raise?” You taunted.

Julian shook his head. The round continued.

The game continued with a few more turns like this. Julian met your and opponents’ contributions until it was down to you, him, and the gold-toothed, bushy-browed guy.

You squirmed in your seat, grinning as if you had already won the round. You’d already added up the round’s winnings in your head. You’d already pocketed them and took a celebratory swig out of your next cup.

Julian reached toward his nearly empty stein and brought it to his lips nonchalantly to take another drink. The other competitor looked like he was sweating between the two of you. Grip tight on his last coin, the opponent raised his hand and tossed it into the pile with a grunt of:  “Five.”

Julian watched you take your coin and toss it in, agreeing to the raise. Julian took out a few coins of his own to toss to the pile, raising the bet again. _They’re bluffing._ He silently accused.

The man beside you let out an angry growl from the back of his throat and threw his cards down in anger. “Fine! I’m out!”

Now, it’s just you and Julian.

Julian drained his glass and then set it back on the table as you saw to his raise and added another coin.

“Your hand is _that_ good?” Julian pried, his dark auburn brow rose questioningly.

“Better than the last good lay you had, stranger.” You taunted him back, you held the face of your cards against your chest.

“Enough to wager the rest of that pile you have here?” Julian asked again, gesturing towards the pile that had dwindled a bit from all of the previous bets.

“You don’t have enough to match this collection of my winnings.” You stated back, your smile dropped to another theatrical face.

 _They’re right. I don’t._ He admitted to himself, trying to think of anything he could offer that has something close to the difference in their currency. “What if,” Julian started to say, going for more dramatic effect. “Instead of me paying the difference in coin, I pay it with my life?”


	2. A Tussle of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian Devorak has finished the round with you and the results are as follows...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Five cards, one exchange. Anyone think they can beat me this time?”
> 
> “Your hand is that good?” 
> 
> “What if… I pay it with my life?”

You looked at Julian, your interest peaked. “Your _life_?” You repeated back while you searched his gaze and tried to find a reason for why he would bet something as drastic as that. Something that could hold such little value to another person he had just met.

“Correct,” Julian waited for your answer. 

Your lips curled up, entertained at his matching drama. You waited for him to admit that he was joking and toss another of his coin in again. 

But his toss never came. Instead, he continued to stare into your eyes stoically with his gray one. Your smile dropped after he remained this way for a moment. You realized he was not going to take back his wager and soon became annoyed at his action.

“I should make you throw in twenty extra in, just from how absurd and insulting your proposal is. What use would _your_ _life_ be for me?” You asked as you furrowed your brows and grimaced at the idea of someone who would be following you around just because you won a game of cards with him. “I don’t have a use for someone else’s life. Why would I take something so useless to me when your money is right there?"

Julian had hoped offer would have thrown you off and then he could sweep in with a glorious win. This didn’t seem to be the case. Julian’s jaw set itself tight, and he tried to think of good a response.

 _She's right._ _I’m not valuable. I’m a wanted murderer. I’m more of a nuisance than an asset._ Julianlooked you over, trying to find something he would be able to offer to show the value he had. He scratched desperately for something that could reclaim the respect he had lost from the sentence he uttered earlier. Some sort of talent he possessed, any talent, that you would find desirable that you wouldn't find in anyone else you would meet.

You felt his eye glide over your body and your possessions as he searched for something to say. Julian studied you and drank in the clues he could find, then lit up with his tenacity when he noticed the bag you had hanging on the side of your chair. It looked well worn and empty as if it had few possessions in it…

“You travel?” Julian inquired; his eye darted back to catch yours once again. One of your eyebrows lifted, showing the confusion in his tactic and where it was going. “I can speak a few languages fluently. That could come in handy when you stumble upon somewhere you haven't been before.”

Julian then looked at your arms and noticed a bruise and a few scabbed over scratches. “I’m a doctor, too.” He continued, his gaze lingered on your arms a bit longer, and you shift uneasily in his gaze. “I could come in handy if you were to get sick or injured while you’re out seeing the world.”

Your harsh look lifted. Julian’s convincing seemed to have struck some gold, even if it was a small vein. His lips started to curl into a grin, and his wits returned as he saw your reaction.

“So, do we have a deal?” He asked as he stared you down, intensely anticipating your answer.

Silence.

Some onlookers grunted and murmured, their interests piqued.

You drew in a deep breath and looked at your money, and then looked back to the red-haired stranger who had laid everything he had onto the table. Julian watched as the gears in your mind started to turn.

With a long, dragged out exhale your chest depressed itself as the weight of the decision hung on your shoulders and jumbled your thoughts. You weighed the options. You thought about counters to knock him back down to his original peg. If he thought he had the upper hand, that smug look on his face would pester you for the rest of your night.

Then, you nodded.

“Deal,” You finally agreed, a hefty sigh leaving your lungs as you settle for the stakes. “You could be useful in some situations, I suppose."

Julian’s smile curled back up, knowing he had just won a pile of coin to help him pay for things while he hid from the Countess and Vesuvia. Maybe he could go buy a house somewhere far, far from there. He could stay somewhere across the sea, north of the equator. He could keep Pasha and Mazelinka safe with his absence. Things would start anew. He could maybe atone for his crim—

“ _What?!”_ Julian exclaimed as you dropped your cards onto the table revealing your hand and gave him a smirk. Five cards were in sequence from three to seven; their suit matched. Five dark spade cards were sprawled out in front of you. Julian shook his head and read the cards again, confirming what he saw was actually your revealed hand.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

All spades.

Julian’s knot in his throat dipped as he swallowed hard.

“So let us see your hand, Mr. Big Talk.” You call for his cards, the smirk still plastered on your face.

Julian looked down at his hand, cursing. He dropped them onto the table and cursed again. All cards bore the same suit - all brilliantly red and bright. Immediately after dropping the cards, he brought his hand to his hair and ran his hands through it to try and assess what was going on.

After a moment packed with snickers, jeering, and scoffs from the crowd around you both, you stood up and grabbed your mostly empty bag and started to drop the piles of coin into it. “Looks like I’ll be making use of your _life,_  then.” You teased Julian as you tightened up the band of the bag and lugged it onto your shoulder. With the swift movement, you gave Julian another smug look and blinked slowly at him as a teasing goodbye. He looked up and balled his fists quickly before loosening them again. He looked visibly stiff in his chair, plans obviously not going the way he had thought they would. “Thank you for your coin, stranger!” You exclaimed as you went to leave the tap house.

You turned quickly, not looking towards where you were going and smacked into a nearby man who had been watching the game intently. He grimaced at you as you pulled yourself back and assessed what had happened. You looked up and noticed it was one of the guys you had beaten multiple times in previous rounds of the card game. “Oh, you…” You say nervously, trying to nonchalantly brush off the bump.

Julian raised reflexively from his chair as he watched the tension in the room thicken. The man's muscles started to bristle and clench, and you stepped slowly away trying to get some distance between you two.

You raised a hand and patted the air in an attempt to calm him, a nervous laugh left your throat as you tried to make your way towards the door. “Maybe next time pal, eh?” Your voice cracked as you watched him take a step towards you.

You dropped your hand back to your side as you continued your stride closer to the door, then a selection of cards slipped out from your lowered sleeve. You flinched as you heard them scatter across the floor, revealing them all to be the same suit and multiples of the same sets of numbers. A guest in the tavern bent down and grabbed a few of the cards, his face changed from a rosy-cheeked, red-nosed hue into a deep shade of crimson and his jaw locked.

A few things happened in quick succession and caught you off guard.

Another guest of the tavern shouted angrily and accusing after seeing the cards themselves. “They cheated!” His yell was followed by more grunts from various people agreeing with him and more shouting.

The man you had bumped into raised his fist and seized your arm, his grip tightened so much that your arm started to ache and felt like it was about to snap. As you tried to pull away, a slash came down from his other hand, and it sliced open the side of your shirt.

The skin beneath your rip pinkened, then a thin line of red started to push its way through your parting skin and started to drip down, warm and tacky. Then, his arm came back to stab at you again. Closing your eyes, fearing and preparing for the immense pain of the oncoming stab, you held your breath for the blow.

But it never came.

You opened your eyelids fearfully and found your face disorientingly close to a linen dark cloth. As you evaluated your new surroundings, the cloth quivered for a moment and you noticed it was the cloth of a coat that dressed a broad back in front of you. You looked up to see if you could find something to identify who it belonged to. Upon seeing a tuft of deep auburn locks, you realized who was crazy enough to have stepped in between you and a dagger. You felt yourself exhale when you heard his staggered grunt.

“What are you…?” You asked with a breathy, surprised tone. However, you were quickly drowned out by the growing yell of anger from your assailant.

“Get out of here!” Julian yelled, managing to get the man's grip loose enough to let go of your hand and shove him a minute distance away.

You caught a glimpse of the dagger stuck into your savior's forearm. The dagger was stuck deep within Julian’s muscle and protruded from the other side. The point of it started trickling little droplets of red. The thick liquid dropped down to slowly color the floor. You were frozen, trying to process what had just happened, but heard Julian's voice erupt again with a sense of distress and urgency.

“Do you want to be killed? Run!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided to add to it. I thought it'd be nice to write a fun adventure for the doctor, even if he does forget all about it.


	3. A Speedy Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian finds you after escaping the fight at the tavern you had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “You could be useful in some situations, I suppose."
> 
> “So let us see your hand, Mr. Big Talk.”
> 
> "Get out of here! Run!”

Your back pressed to the cool stone of the dark alley while you tried to gather your breath from running away from the tavern. The vision of Julian’s arm pierced through by a jagged knife sent shivers down your spine and made your heart feel cold and heavy.

 _What if he dies?_ You thought, your breaths still short and ragged. _What if he’s already dead?_ You slid down to the stones that made up the street beneath you and pushed your fingers through your hair. What an idiot. What a god damn idiot. You cursed, trying to make the weight on your shoulders lift with each word but instead the heavier they made your shoulders feel.

You sat in contemplation until you heard footsteps coming down the alley beside you. A distant _clip clap_ sound that echoed off the street’s walls slowly grew near your position. You turned your head quickly as you gazed up and down the alley to try and find the source of the sounds, and your gaze landed on the auburn-haired man as he trotted his way to you. His face changed from worry to a wave of relief the instant your eyes locked with his.

As he drew near, you got back up onto your feet and ignored the pain radiating from your side from the sudden movement. You tried to hold your mouth shut but felt it slack as shock washed over you, numbing your skin. Julian slowed his pace from his trot as he came to the last few long strides before reaching the side of you.

“Are you alright?” Julian asked, trying to look you over for wounds you had acquired after ditching the fight.

“What the fu—“ You started to scold him, your eyebrows furrowing and crinkling the skin at the bridge of your nose. You halted your tone when you heard the echoes of gruff voices calling out for Julian and you bouncing off of the walls of shops just down the street where Julian had emerged from. Instead of getting the chance to continue your lecture, you felt a leathery grip encircle your wrist and then you were pulled around the corner into a dark alley. Julian quickly skid to a seat beside a few cans piled high with trash and pulled you down beside him to hide in its shadow together.

Instead of offering an explanation, Julian's gloved hand then clapped over your mouth and his other held a long finger up to his lips asking you to keep quiet. While obliging, you heard footsteps approach closer to your hiding spot. The group mumbled and groaned about losing their target they had been chasing. Their conversation flowed from the other side of the trashcans, bringing a faint stench of beer and liquor to your nose. You watched their shadows dance in the moonlight on the street floor and ripple over the bags full of discarded things while you kept yourself hidden with your auburn hero. You tried to discern whether they were leaving or staying in their inconvenient spot. Finally, a man groaned and started to continue their trudge down the street with a suggestion that their target had continued further down.

When they all seemed to have gone, Julian removed his hand from your mouth and opened his to start an apology. Instead of getting any words out, however, he immediately got a stinging slap of your hand onto his cheek and a burning sensation as his skin started to pinken. Shocked, Julian looked back to you from the aftermath that had thrown his view to the side and his grey eye searched your face for an explanation.

"What was that?!" You laid into him, voice deep and disgusted. "You see a scuff and just jump in front of an oncoming blade? You don't even know me!" Your own eyes tried to uncover an answer to their own questions. Confusion clouded your mind and quite clearly angered you because you didn't understand. "Why would you do something so -- so reckless for a _stranger_?" You demanded his answers, looking at the astonished doctor's face for something - for some defense for his actions.

Instead of answering, Julian just continued to look at you as his cheek pulsed with a lingering sting. Both of you caught your breath while the air between you two erupted with tension. Julian's mouth opened and closed, then opened again but nothing emerged to give you any reasoning for his actions.

A moment passed and you slowly started to shake your head, trying to calm yourself down. When it started to work, your rational thought returned and you realized what you had done to someone who had saved your life back in the tavern where you were scamming brutes for their money.

Julian watched as you composed yourself before moving. Once he decided it was safe enough, he sat up a bit straighter, more proper, and cleared his throat to address you. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice smooth and warm like a fresh cup of tea. The continued kindness made your heart sink further into your chest. Your look drifted away from his piercing stare and you felt your cheeks heat with embarrassment. While you tried to form some kind of apology, you caught sight of his arm resting beside him - it's covering tattered and dyed a deep crimson.

You locked your jaw as you tried to figure out how to approach the next few words that needed to be said. When your eyes returned to his steel ones, your sight traced over a few more bruises and scrapes that muddled his porcelain skin and cheekbones.

Julian continued to watch you as he awaited your response. When your arm moved again, you saw him visibly flinch and prepare for another hard hit. Pausing for a moment, your heart sunk further. You noticed him relax again once he heard you ripping the hem of your shirt. You slowly reached out to grab his arm and gently pulled back his sleeve to see the gruesome tear in his skin.

The thick, red liquid looked to already start to harden into clots. Patches of the hair on his arms were stained the crimson color from what leftover oozing remained matted beside the torn tissue. After you heard him grunt lightly from the movement, you started to wrap the torn hem around his forearm to try and conceal it from any more possible infection. As you pulled the bandage around his forearm snugly, you felt his focus dart back and forth between you and your hands. In silence, you worked to the best of your knowledge to fix what you had helped break.

"You should - place the knot there," Julian instructed quietly while he watched your technique. Instead of giving a verbal answer, you tied the knot where he instructed and lifted his arm up so it was suspended above his head. After confirming he would keep his arm where you had placed it, you looked at him coldly, silently. Upon his lips, a smile stretched its way across his face as his shoulders visibly eased into relaxation. "That bandaging wasn't too bad. Do you have experience in medicine?" Julian asked with a calm, soothing tone as he tried to make conversation blossom out of the silence. His smile distorted the marks on his jaw and cheek.

"I learned what was needed to keep myself alive." You finally answered, voice chilly and solemn. Julian's smile slightly faded away, but he continued to press on.

"The way you dressed me up wasn't far from what doctors in their clinics do. Did someone teach that to you?" He awaited curiously as he admired how you started to look yourself over.

"Just observation, trial, and error." You explained as you started to stand and back away. While on the way up, you staggered and let out a sharp exhale, the wound on your waist burned as it tore again from movement. Julian reached out and caught you on your way back down by gripping the side opposite your cut and stifled a yelp from the throb in his arm as your weight put pressure onto it.

He helped you stand upright, then started to look you over to see what he did not have the chance to examine earlier. Once you caught your breath, you shot him a hot glare and staggered away to stand on your own.

"Keep that thing up." You barked, gesturing to his arm. "I don't want you to pass out on your way to shelter." Julian reacted obediently to your hiss and put his arm back to rest above his head. However, his eye lingered at the side you held in your own grip.

"We need to get you cleaned up, too."

You snorted in response.

"Please, let me at least look at it in some better lighting." After seeing your reluctance, he tried his best to put on a smile to put you at ease. "I'm a doctor, remember? You won my services."

"I cheated. I highly doubt after that exposure our bet is even the slightest bit valid." Another moment of silence passed by. Your chest slowly rose and fell as the pain started to subside again from your movement. "Why would you even do that?" You finally asked, breaking the intense silence.

"Do what?" Julian asked back as he tried to continue to assess you from a distance.

"Take a dagger to your arm, you dolt." You snapped back, voice growling in part from your own pain.

Julian looked up to your colored iris, his solemn face starting to crack a smile. _Out of all the things you could be thinking…_ He started to chuckle at your insult. Once it was out of his system, his eye traced back down to look over your wound and its adjacent inflamed skin. "Let's get you cleaned up." He finally stated, avoiding the question again.

Julian dropped his arm again, ignoring your glare and took a step towards you. Gently, he wrapped his good arm around your rib cage and pulled you to his side to lean on him. Taking your other arm, he slung it over his shoulders and used it to hold you up as he led you out of the alleyway. "Where can we go to wash this up?" He asked in a velvety voice.

\---

As you slouched next to a stone built fountain in the middle of a small plaza, Julian dunked a piece of cloth into the fresh water and rung it out. Then, he pulled it over to your side and, after a small hesitation, he started to wipe off your cut. You let out a grunt and stifled yelp, and Julian lightly hummed as he got to work.

"You're lucky, you know," Julian observed as he gently wiped away dried blood, dirt, and sweat. "The cut isn't as deep as it may feel. If he had stretched his arm any further you would have been disemboweled in that confrontation." You let out a low, unimpressed groan which made him chuckle to himself again.

"Just tell me why you're helping me." You asked, trying to ease yourself to a relaxed slouch.

"You won, remember?" Julian answered you again. After he saw the irritation in your stare he laughed lightly again before he threw the now dirty cloth he used to help clean you up into a nearby waste can. “You need to rest. Do you have anywhere to go?” Julian asked as he extended a hand to help you back up to your feet.

Using his steadied hand, you hoisted yourself up and straightened your clothes. “I have a place just by the water nearby.” You finally answered him, “It’s a bit small, but there’s room for you to stay,” You let out the offer. “Just… as a thank you.” You made sure to clarify after seeing a small snicker start to form on his face once again.

Julian found enjoyment in your fumbled words, but he seemed to let the moment for a joke pass. “Let’s go, then. I want you off of your feet as soon as possible. Doctor’s orders.” He suggested, watching as you turned to take the lead after rolling your eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had completely intended on this chapter covering more than what it ended up covering.
> 
> Oh well. There's always another chapter, after all.


	4. Home, Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Julian and you return to your home and you offer him a place to stay for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You see a scuff and just jump in front of an oncoming blade? You don't even know me!"
> 
> "We need to get you cleaned up, too."
> 
> "I have a place just by the water nearby... There's room for you to stay."

Trudging through the dampened sand, Julian and you came upon a run down shack in a secluded area. The few bits of plants that scattered along the path and around the shack had become over grown; it's roof had a slant from the foundation sinking. A window was shattered in one pane, the cause unknown, but you believed it had been from a storm that knocked something into the glass well before you had stumbled upon the place. The door on the shack hung open just a crack, not from any visible forced entry but because the door did not shut completely from the sinking roof causing the doorframe to warp and angle.

You reached out to grab the door handle and pulled roughly, scraping the bottom of the door against the stone on the path. Once fully opened, the inside of the house was exposed to your guest. "Well, here we are." You introduced the place you referred to as home to Julian as you stepped aside and ushered for him to go in first so you could drag the door shut behind the two of you.

Julian obliged and stepped into the shack then looked around taking everything in.

Much like the outside, the inside looked like the abode had not been cared for since it had been abandoned. The floors held scattered leaves and grass; some areas were covered with sand that had been carried in from the wind and high tides. A rotting, old table sat pushed against a wall of what appeared to be a dining area adjoined to the equally small kitchen which held a stove that had been untouched for years. Other parts of the living area showed various signs of a possible flooding. Julian shuffled his feet where he stood and scoped the room to take in the view of the lack of decorations and furniture.

"You live here?" Julian asked, cocking a brow and turning to you as he heard the door's dragging cease behind him.

You let go of the door and looked up to meet his grey eye and eyepatch and nodded. "I have been for a bit, anyway. It's not really mine." You explained to him as you took a few steps further into the place. "I'm just making use of something that was available."

Julian returned his gaze to the room and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something more, but closed it again without producing anything. At his response, you frowned and felt yourself get mildly offended.

"You don't have to stay here." You explained, briskly walking past him and into the living area. "It's all I've got available at the moment. I just wanted to thank you by giving you a place to crash. I see that wasn't the best idea, now."

"No," Julian answered quickly, noticing the change in your tone and carrying alarm in his own, "That's not what I- I wasn't trying to be-" He pressed his mouth closed, not sure if he was helping the situation or digging himself a deeper hole. "I just figured with the money you had won from the bar that you'd be somewhere more… livable."

"Just because I've got some money doesn't mean I want to waste it while this place works just fine." You answered him defensively. "I don't have to entertain people often. So this fits the bill perfectly most of the time.” _It's not like I deserve anything better, anyway._

You stepped towards the doorway on the opposite side of the room from where you entered the home. The frame was missing a door and instead had a tattered sheet strung up on rope to serve as a privacy screen. Once there you pushed the cloth out of the way, sat your bag with your money down, and fumbled around for an extra cover that looked acceptable for a guest to use. On your way back into the living area, you plopped it onto the couch. The seat looked as if the bottom half had been damaged from water with legs that were rotting and material stained a darker hue, but the top cushions were dry - albeit a little dirty. You gestured towards the second door in the back corner of the room, next to where you had just come from. This frame still looked intact, the door still present and fully operational. “The bathroom is back there. I have fresh water stored in a small bucket you can use. I promise that room is better kept. The water didn’t reach back there or too far into the room I’ll be staying in. Go clean up your wound and get a better dressing on it.”

Julian nodded sheepishly, his cheeks slightly pinkened in embarrassment from having his word vomit earlier. He turned and headed towards the bathroom taking long, swift strides. You continued to prepare the couch to be a presentable bed for him while he cleaned up in the washroom.

A few moments later he emerged from behind the door, his bandages and skin looking much fresher. You looked up from your handiwork on the couch and felt a smile start to grow over your face as you noticed how relaxed he held himself now. _Good. He looks much more comfortable than what he was._

Julian had ripped off the rest of his tattered sleeve opposite the one that had been stained with blood to match the length of his other. He gripped the end of one sleeve and cuffed the fabric to give the torn hem a more put together look. Your eyes watched him silently while his deft hands worked to modify his shirt. Your eyes caught the new bandage, the cloth looking to be from his clean sleeve he had ripped off. Your gaze lingered long enough to have Julian catch it when he looked up to see the progress on his bed for the night.

When he chuckled and curled his lips at you, you felt your cheeks warm from being caught gawking and continued to work on the bed after breaking eye contact. "You can sleep here. If you need me for anything, I'll be in the other room." You informed him as you finished, stood back up reaching your full height, and avoided his gaze. Julian walked over to examine the couch, stepping close to you while he assessed how you had set up the spot.

"It looks … comfortable." He noted, then drew in a breath and let a hefty sigh out with a dash of a soft, tired groan accenting it at the end of the exhale.

You felt your arms start to prickle at the sound from his throat. A chill ran through your arm as his breath brushed against your skin. You stepped away from Julian and started towards the bathroom for yourself. "I'm going to wash off some of this grime. Afterwards, I'm headed to bed." You grabbed the door to step through to the washroom and were halted by a choked sound that came from behind you. When you turned to look at Julian for an explanation, you noticed his hand had raised as if he was going to grab your arm to stop you but hesitated enough to not make contact in time. The sound you heard must have been a stifled call that he had a second thought of as he started to form the sentence.

"I… never got your name." Julian finally answered you, a bit quietly with his first word. After his pause from processing what to say, he finished the sentence strong once his thoughts aligned. "If I'm going to be helping you, I should probably know how to address you."

You furrowed your brow as you tried to figure out how to respond to his question. _Should I tell him my real name, or something to associate me with?_

Technically, he was yours to do with as you pleased. If he wanted to continue this proposal that he made at the tavern and then again at the fountain, maybe something like 'Master' would be an easier title for him to remember than your name.

What's in a name? Why would it matter when he was probably going to leave you tomorrow anyway?

Julian dropped his hand to his side and waited while he kept his gaze locked on you. You snickered at your previous thoughts, then formed your answer.

"My name is (name)." You said to him finally, pushing the door to the washroom open. "Don't feel obligated to wake me when you leave in the morning." You added as you stepped into the washroom and shut the door behind you to clean yourself up.

* * *

The next morning you woke up to light pouring across your room’s sandy floor. You brushed your eyes and slowly sat up on the uncomfortable cot you slept on. A small irritation started to sting your side from a spot that brought back memories of what happened last night. Wincing, you looked over your torso and remembered your guest, the Doctor in your living room too.

You let your shirt fall back into place over the healing slice and slid off of the cot. You stood and walked to the curtain that hung in your doorframe and pushed it open to check the status of your home.

No water. No unwanted animals. So far so good.

Curiosity about your guest pushed you into the room towards the couch. When you ended up beside where you had left your guest, you noticed the covers you had laid out last night were tossed aside and empty.

Pulling your mouth to one side so you could bite the inside of your lip and cheek, you felt your heart sink. _I told him he wasn’t obligated to stay._ You reminded yourself, justifying his absence and turned to go to the kitchen area. You fumbled around the cabinets to collect a cup to fill with water to wash the stale taste of spit out.

Once you found your cup you huffed out a tired breath, made your way to the sink, and looked out the cracked glass window at the mid-morning glow on the beach that the view held on the other side. The sun made the small rocks glisten and glitter, a stark difference from the darkly lit shack you stood in.

_That's fine. I guess it’s just another day alone._

In the middle of your daze, you heard the front door creak open and drag along the stone flooring, setting an internal alarm off and your defenses up. You whipped around dropping your cup into the sink, arms were up and ready to swing, then you saw your pale friend carrying in what looked like some food and a small pile of clothes.

Julian gave you a soft smile after his startled look from your reaction wore off and rose the pile of things in his arms in a gesture and then made his way to the table to sit the items down. “I brought you some breakfast.” He offered, putting the clothes in a pile beside the fruit he had brought in for you. “And a new outfit. I needed a new shirt, and figured you might need one as well.” Julian explained, nodding towards your torn hem and dirty pants before looking back up to meet your bewildered expression. “I guessed your size so I hope it fits.”

“What?” Julian asked, confused by your reaction. It was a friendly gesture, nothing bizarre. Why were you looking at him like that?

“I told you, you could go.” You rephrase, a question and statement melded into an single sentence delivered with an unusual tone. _I didn’t think you’d return._ “Why did you come back?”

Julian’s grey eye found yours and he gave you a smile. Shaking his head, he turned back to the table and plucked the red shirt he bought for himself out of the pile of clothes. “A doctor can’t leave his patient alone. Plus, you-"

“I cheated. Stop saying that. The bet is completely invalid.” You barked back, interrupting him, not wanting to hear him say that phrase again.

Julian paused as he studied the red shirt and turned it in his hands, then shrugged in response. He reached for the bottom of his worn shirt and started to pull out the tucked hem out of his high waisted pants. “Then just take my first explanation. I’m a doctor and you’re my patient. Let me at least make sure your cut heals properly.”

Your heart thumped, making your chest heat.

_Why?_ You asked yourself, so confused. _No one has ever cared. Yet this stranger just shows up and assumes a role that I haven't had to deal with for…_ You shook your head and ran a hand through your hair as you tried to remember the last time you had a friend. Deciding to forego the recalling, you brought your hand from your hair back and pushed it over your eyes to try and concentrate on what to say now.

Julian started to lift his tattered shirt off of his body, showing off his slender and pale torso. His thin muscles stretched and tensed as he pulled his arms out of the old sleeves and balled the shirt together. After, he tossed his shirt to the corner of the table and pulled on his new red one by slipping his arms in before pulling it over his head. He took his hands and started to tuck the new hem into his trousers again.

“I need a drink.” You muttered, looking up after he had changed, an exhausted look in your eye. You frowned a bit, noticing the change in clothing and wondering if he had changed into that while he was gone. Your thoughts were so scattered you had forgotten he even brought in clothes when he came back.

Julian looked over to you and raised a brow, intrigued at your confused look and sudden statement. He grinned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His hair poked through the deep neck his new shirt sported, similar to how his older one did. The color slightly shone in the reflected light from the mid-morning sun glittering off of beach, bringing some color into the drab and dark shack - starkly changing the lighting from what it was earlier when you were admiring the outside scenery. “Oh? Then let’s go.” He answered you, picking up the pile of new clothes and handing them to you. “After you change and eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next addition to this work (Chapter 4.5) is an extra chapter that is not necessarily canon, but could definitely have been something that happened within the story.
> 
> Much like the games, I created it with intention to bring more spice to the story for those who wanted to get woo'd by the doctor. You can read it or not, it's up to you. However, due to anatomical knowledge, I'm only able to write it from a f!reader point of view. Sorry all of you m!readers. I'm planning on working on that to expand the ability to have a gender neutral sriracha scene.
> 
> I'm working on expanding the sprinkles, as well. Hopefully the next "extra" scene can be enjoyed equally from all audiences, regardless of gender or anatomical background.
> 
> If you liked the work, please leave some kudos and comments! I will be working on Part 2, but I love hearing from you all!

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been a bit since I’ve been in this writing game...
> 
> Something I slapped together (and revised a million times to make sure it was properly written). I got inspired by Julian and the amazing game The Arcana, so this is a lame homage to it.
> 
> The angst just spoke to my soul... As did Julian's thrill for adventure.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a comment down below about your thoughts!


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